The Gaza humanitarian crisis

“But what is different about this, is that I’ve never seen anything so publicly committed, such atrocities, perpetrated on television, and the victims are presented as the perpetrators.  And this spectacle – this obscene, vicious spectacle – that we’re subjected to, is either supported, or condoned, by the major media and all the politicians.”  Dr Gabor Maté, 18 October 2023

On 7 October  2023, Palestinian militant group Hamas entered Israel from Gaza, killed over 1,000 Israelis, and took around 200 Israelis hostage.

In response, the Israeli Prime Minister said Israeli forces would exact mighty vengeance on Hamas.  He said they would turn all Hamas locations into rubble.

On 9 October, the Israeli Defence Minister announced a total blockade of essential supplies to Gaza (food, water, medicine, energy).  Days later, Israeli forces bombarded Gaza heavily, and then invaded.

The siege and war resulted in a humanitarian crisis, displacing 2 million people.  Israeli attacks in the next month killed over 10,000 people in Gaza, including over 4,000 children.

Vengeance.  The act of punishing or harming someone in return for what they have done to you.  I have a big problem with vengeance as a concept.  It seems to me devoid of moral content, a simple urge to destroy in reaction to destruction.

Benjamin Netanyahu could have planned his response in a way that did not result in such massive casualties.  Instead, he has chosen a course of action which inflicts an enormous level of suffering on huge numbers of innocent people in Gaza.

There is a style of behaviour characteristic of people who are behaving vengefully.  They find reasons to make life more difficult for the objects of their revenge, and anyone associated with them.  They find themselves neglectfully causing little accidents.  Oops, sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.  They become good at gaslighting, shifting the blame.  They even stop applying normally-accepted human rights.

Israel is powerful.  It is a nuclear power, a strong, technologically advanced economy.  When a vengeful government is powerful, its friends find it hard to challenge its behaviour in public.  Via the media, this reluctance to challenge an ally can feed down to ordinary citizens.  I certainly feel a pressure not to say anything  in public challenging Israel’s actions, even though I find the siege and bombing of Gaza unnecessarily vengeful.

Even so, I will carry on researching.

“This is such a difficult discussion.  […]  Before you speak – if you want to speak responsibly – do check out other sources.  Because the history you may believe in, you may sincerely and genuinely hold [that view of history], but it may not be as accurate as you believe.  You really need to do your research on this one.”  Dr Gabor Maté, 18 October 2023